Location

• Executive West Hotel, Louisville, Kentucky

Date/Time

• Friday, April 1, 2005 at 9:15 a.m. ET

Speakers

• Secretary Norman Y. Mineta, U.S. Department of Transportation
• Annette M. Sandberg, Administrator, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
• Steve Williams, Chairman, American Trucking Associations (ATA), President and Chief Executive, Maverick Transportation, Little Rock, Arkansas
• Jim Johnston, President, Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA), Grain Valley, Missouri
• Timothy P. Lynch, President and Chief Executive Officer, Motor Freight Carriers Association (MFCA), Washington, DC
• Wayne Crowder, Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) Driver, FedEx Freight, Louisville, Kentucky
• Steve Fields, CMV Driver, Yellow Transportation, Independence, Missouri
• Carol Ann Schlussler, owner-operator leased to Dart Transit, Baldwin, Wisconsin
• Bill Mack, trucking radio personality, Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas

Purpose

• Secretary Mineta will announce the “Be Ready. Be Buckled,” campaign, an outreach effort of the Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Belt Partnership.
• The campaign responds to the low number of truckers buckling up and the possible severe consequences to truckers who don’t use safety belts.
• A 2003 U.S. Department of Transportation study indicated only 48 percent of all truck drivers used their safety belts.
• In 2003, of the 620 truckers killed in crashes more than half were not wearing safety belts. Of the 171 truckers who were ejected from their trucks, almost 80 percent were not wearing safety belts.
• The campaign will promote the common sense message, “Be Ready. Be Buckled.” to truckers through radio public service announcements and posters, brochures and other printed materials posted and available at truck stops, motor carrier terminals and other locations.

Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety

• FMCSA's goal for the United States is to reduce the large truck fatality rate by 41 percent from 1996 to 2008. This reduction translates into a rate of 1.65 fatalities in truck crashes per 100 million miles of truck travel.
• For six consecutive years, the large truck-related fatality rate has decreased. In 2002, the large truck fatality rate was 2.28 fatalities per 100 million truck miles traveled.

Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Belt Partnership

• The Partnership focuses on educating the more than 6 million working drivers of large trucks and busses about the critical importance of wearing a safety belt.
• Members include: American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators; American Trucking Associations *; Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance *; Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration *; Great West Casualty Company; International Association of Chiefs of Police; Motor Freight Carriers Association *; National Association of Publicly Funded Truck Driving Schools; National Association of Truck Stop Operators; National Highway Traffic Safety Administration *; National Private Truck Council *; National Safety Council; National Tank Truck Carriers; Network of Employers for Highway Safety; Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association; Professional Truck Drivers Institute; Truck Manufacturers Association
  
  * Founding Member

CMV Safety and the Economy

• Trucks move approximately 80 percent of everything we use in our daily lives, last year delivering more than six trillion dollars worth of food, clothing, pharmaceuticals, autos, building supplies and everyday products across the Nation's highways.
• Truckers have a tremendous impact on the U.S. economy, which makes convincing them to buckle up to ensure their own safety, and those with whom they share the road so important.

Event Sponsors

• Event sponsors include: American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators; American Trucking Associations; FedEx Freight; Great West Casualty; Motor Freight Carriers Association; National Tank Truck Carriers; Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association; Truck Manufacturers Association; Volvo Truck; XM Satellite Radio; Yellow Roadway Corporation

Interview Availability

• Secretary Mineta and other speakers will be available at the podium for interviews shortly after the conclusion of the event.

On-site Contact

• David Longo, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, (202) -366-8810 (work), (703) 598-5298 (cell)

March 30, 2005